How to Enroll In a Welding Certification Program near Prentiss Mississippi
Finding the ideal welding vocational school near Prentiss MS is an essential first step to launching your new career as a professional welder. But since there are a lot of schools to pick from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more importantly, once you have fine tuned your options, how do you select the right one? Most prospective students start by checking out the schools that are closest to their homes. Once they have located those that are within driving distance, they gravitate toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and tuition cost are important issues when examining welding vocational schools, but they are not the only ones. Other considerations include such things as accreditation, reputation and job placement rates. So before starting your search for a trade school to become a welder, it’s sensible to create a list of qualifications that your selected school must have. But before we delve into our due diligence checklist, let’s cover a little bit about how to become a welder.
Welder Certificate and Degree Training Classes
There are a number of alternatives available to obtain training as a welder in a technical or trade school. You can receive a diploma, a certificate or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are available in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced courses than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Below are brief summaries of the most typical welding programs offered in the Prentiss MS.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are generally offered by trade and technical schools and require about a year to complete. They are more hands-on training in scope, created largely to develop welding skills. They can furnish a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or specialized skills for experienced welders.
- Associate Degree Programs will take 2 years to complete and are most often offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology provides a more well-rounded education than the diploma or certificate while still furnishing the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.
Many municipalities and states do have licensing requirements for welders, so make sure to find out for your location of future employment. If required, the welding school you choose should prep you for any licensing examinations that you will need to pass in addition to supplying the proper training to become a professional welder.
Welding Certification Choices
There are several organizations that provide welder certifications, which assess the knowledge and skill level of those applying. Numerous Prentiss MS employers not only demand a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a renowned organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). A wide range of certifications are offered dependent on the kind of work that the welder does. Just some of the things that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to
- Work in compliance with specific codes
- Work with specific metal thicknesses
- Work with certain kinds of welds
- Perform based on contract specifications
As already mentioned, many cities, states or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those requiring licensing, a number also require certification for various types of work. Certification is also a means to demonstrate to employers that you are an exceptionally skilled and experienced welder. So just as with licensing, check the requirements for your location and make certain that the welding vocational school you select preps you for certification as needed.
How to Select a Welder Trade Program
When you have decided on the credential you would like to earn, a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to evaluate schools. As you can imagine, there are a large number of welding vocational and trade schools in the Prentiss MS area. That’s why it’s necessary to decide up front what qualifications your school of choice must have. We have previously covered a couple of significant ones that most people consider first, which are location and tuition cost. As mentioned, although they are essential qualifications, they are not the only ones that should be considered. After all, the school you select is going to provide the instruction that will be the foundation of your new vocation as a welder. So below are some additional factors you may want to consider before selecting a welder technical school.
Accreditation. It’s essential that the welding technical school you select is accredited by either a regional or a national organization. There are 2 basic types of accreditation. The school may attain Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a single program the school offers, for instance Welding Technology. So make sure that the program you choose is accredited, not just the school alone. Also, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping make sure that you receive an excellent education, the accreditation might also help in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are frequently not offered in Prentiss MS for non-accredited schools. Finally, for those states or local governments that mandate licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited also.
Job Placement and Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of welding degree or diploma programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Various other schools will assist in placing you in a job or an apprenticeship upon graduation. Ask if the schools you are reviewing help in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement program. These schools must have associations with local unions and other metal working businesses to which they can place their students. Older schools may have a more substantial network of graduates that they can utilize for referrals. These programs can assist students in finding employment and develop relationships within the Prentiss MS welding community.
Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that start an educational program and finish it. It’s crucial that the welder school you pick has a high completion rate. A reduced rate may mean that the students who were in the program were dissatisfied with the instruction, the instructors, or the facilities, and quit. The job placement rate is also an indication of the caliber of training. A higher job placement rate will not only verify that the program has an excellent reputation within the trade, but additionally that it has the network of Prentiss MS contacts to assist students obtain employment or apprenticeships upon graduation.
Modern Equipment and Facilities. After you have narrowed down your selection of welding schools to 2 or 3 possibilities, you should consider visiting the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Make sure that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be instructed on are up-to-date. Specifically, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be using on the job. If you are unsure what to look for, and are currently in an apprenticeship program, consult with the master welder you are working under for guidance. If not, ask a local Prentiss MS welding professional if they can give you a few suggestions.
School Location. Even though we previously briefly talked about the relevance of location, there are a few additional points that we need to deal with. You should bear in mind that unless you can move, the welding program you select must be within commuting distance of your Prentiss MS home. If you do choose to attend an out-of-state school, besides relocation expenses there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly the case for welding certificate programs offered by community colleges. Additionally, if the school provides an apprenticeship or job placement program, often their placements are within the school’s local community. So the location of the school needs to be in an area or state where you subsequently will desire to work.
Smaller Classes. One-on-one training is essential for a manual trade such as welding. It’s easy to be overlooked in bigger classes and not receive much one-on-one training. Find out what the usual class size is for the welder programs you are reviewing. Inquire if you can sit in on some classes so that you can observe just how much individual attention the students are receiving. While there, speak with a few of the students and get their evaluations. Also, talk to a couple of the instructors and find out what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they have earned.
Flexible Class Scheduling. Lots of folks learn a new trade while still employed at their present job. Verify that the class schedules for the programs you are considering are convenient enough to satisfy your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Prentiss MS, verify that the schools you are looking at provide those options. If you can only attend part-time, confirm that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, check to see what the policy is to make up classes should you miss any because of work, illness or family responsibilities.
Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Prentiss MS?
Perhaps you live in the Prentiss Mississippi area, or have decided to enroll in a Welding Program that has a campus near there. In either case, you may find this bit of history both interesting and informative.
Prentiss, Mississippi
A depot was established in Blountville when the Pearl & Leaf Rivers Railroad (later Illinois Central Railroad) was completed in 1903. That same year the town was officially established and named "Prentiss", possibly after Seargent Smith Prentiss, a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives and U.S. Representative from Mississippi, or after Prentiss Webb Berry, a prominent landowner in the area. When Jefferson Davis County was created in 1906, a special election determined that Prentiss would serve as the county seat.[4][6][7]
In 1907, Jonas Edward Johnson and his wife Bertha LaBranche Johnson established the Prentiss Institute. Situated on 40 acres (16 ha) of land, with remnants of slave quarters on the property, it was considered one of the finest schools for African Americans in Mississippi. The school at first taught only the elementary grades, and began with 40 students whose tuition was often paid with chickens, eggs and produce. A Rosenwald classroom was built on the campus in 1926, and by 1953 the "Prentiss Normal and Industrial Institute" included a high school and junior college, had 44 faculty and more than 700 students, and included 24 buildings and 400 acres (160 ha) of farmland, pasture and forest. In 1955, Heifer International donated 15 pure-bred cows to the school with the intention that the offspring be donated to needy farm families. It is noteworthy that the school gave some of the animals to poor white families. The school closed in 1989 and was designated an official Mississippi landmark in 2002.[8][9]
Prentiss is located in central Jefferson Davis County at 31°35′49″N 89°52′11″W / 31.596990°N 89.869776°W / 31.596990; -89.869776.[12]U.S. Route 84 passes north and west of the town center on a bypass; the four-lane highway leads east 20 miles (32 km) to Collins and west 16 miles (26 km) to Monticello. Mississippi Highway 13 passes through the town slightly east of the center; it leads north 27 miles (43 km) to Mendenhall and south 26 miles (42 km) to Columbia. Mississippi Highway 42 leads southeast from Prentiss 11 miles (18 km) to Bassfield.
Online Welder Classes
Welding is very much a manual kind of trade, and consequently not extremely suitable for training online. Even so, there are a small number of online welding classes offered by certain community colleges and vocational schools in the greater Prentiss MS area that may count toward a certificate or degree program. These courses mainly cover such subjects as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help give a novice a basis to start their training and education. Nevertheless, the most important point is that you can’t learn how to weld or handle welding materials unless you actually do it. Naturally that can’t be performed online. These skills have to be learned in an on-campus setting or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is more appropriate for experienced welders that desire to advance their expertise or possibly earn a more advanced degree. So if you should come across an online welding certificate or degree program, be very careful and verify that the larger part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.
Find the Right Welding Tech Program Prentiss MS
Choosing the right welder school will probably be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new career. As we have discussed in this article, there are a number of factors that you will need to examine and compare among the schools you are considering. It’s a must that any welding school that you are examining includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes should be smaller in size and each student must have their own welding machine to train with. Classroom education should offer a real-world perspective, and the course of study should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Programs vary in duration and the type of credential offered, so you will have to ascertain what length of program and certificate or degree will best fulfill your needs. Each program offers different possibilities for certification as well. Probably The ideal approach to research your short list of schools is to check out each campus and talk with the teachers and students. Invest some time to monitor some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the program you select is the right one for you. With the proper training, hard work and dedication, the end result will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Prentiss MS.
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